Werewolf and Vampire Mate [Book 1 Complete]

chapter eighteen.

April

"This is a joke right?" Harper verbalizes my exact thoughts as I pack a bag in my dorm room.

"I wish it was," I sigh, folding a plain dress into a careful square.

"You're twenty-two years old, April! Your parents can't tell you that you have to go home."

"I know, but they're paying for my tuition. They'll cut me off if I don't."

"Fucking assholes," she swears. "What about your classes?"

"They're all online these days. I just have to email my lecturers and ask to switch over."

"But...you can't leave me," she whines. I stop packing to pull her into a crushing hug. She's smaller than me, but she hugs back twice as hard.

"I'm not going to be far. It's less than two hours."

"I know but...It feels like forever. And I only just got you back after thinking you were dead."

"I'm really sorry about that," I say into her hair before we both pulled back.

"You know you still haven't explained where the hell you were for the past few days."

I resume packing, trying to be nonchalant. I am no good at lying to her. "I was...with a guy."

"But not Nik Gray?"

"No. Someone else. I, uh, met him at the party."

Her eyebrows jump up her forehead in surprise. "Really? So you went to the ball as Nik's date and then...found someone better? Does someone better than the Nik Gray even exist?"

"It wasn't like that. I mean, not exactly. It just sort of...happened."

"So you did spend the entire weekend getting laid? Just to clarify?"

My cheeks heat as I remember Reed's touch, the way I came apart in his arms. "No."

"You're blushing!" she gasps, being theatrical.

"I didn't, Harp. Really. I mean...not the entire weekend."

"Oh my god!" She squeals, hitting my arm.

I laugh and she helps me to finish packing. As we walk down the hallway of my dorm building together, she asks, "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"Until I've managed to calm my mom down a bit. Hopefully it won't be more than a couple of weeks."

"Will you be back before Spring Break?"

We usually spend the holiday together and do something fun; her father is so busy this time of year.

"I hope so. I'm going to call you everyday ok? Maybe you can come down and visit on the weekend," I suggest as we walk outside.

"Yeah, we could go–"

"April," a masculine voice cuts Harper off and my eyebrows immediately draw down when I see North striding toward us.

What the hell? Reed promised me that my werewolf protection detail would be silent and unseen. Maybe something bad happened...

"What's wrong?" I ask him, suddenly nervous, like a vampire is going to jump out and snatch me away in broad daylight.

"Where are you going?" He asks me, but...he's looking at Harper. Only at Harper. And she's staring back, startled at his presence.

"I'm...going to stay with my parents for a few days. In New York," I say meaningfully, hinting that he's going to have to follow me if he wants to stay on my detail.